Assembly fixture



June 27, 1950 Filed Nov. 16, 1945 A. H. LEWIS 2,512,659

ASSEMBLY FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 awe/rm ALEXANDERH.LEWIE,

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some applications, particularly when the springs.

are of excessive length, there is a tendency for the assemblies to stick in the assembly holes H.

In such cases it has been found that by terminat- I ing the camming surface I! by means of the sharp shoulder 22, while the spring is still under some compression, the assemblies tend to pop out of the assembly holes I I as a result of the sudden release from compression and thereby overcome the tendency to stick. It should be noted that .arms 60 function also as a safety device to prevent the operators fingers from being carried under the cam-arm Hi.

In case plunger 3! is of such length that it would project unduly from assemblyhole H, a

. modification as shown in Fig. 3 meet the requirements of the situation.

In this modification, a cylinder 42 is rotatably mounted on a base 4 I the cylinder being provided with assembly holes 44 of a depth sufficient to hold. an unassembled spring and plunger, the

l assembly holes being arranged in a manner similar to the original design. slot 46 is provided in cylinder 42, the width of A circumferential this slot being less than the diameter of assembly holes 44, the slot being disposed so as to I embrace their axes and extend inwardly somewhat beyond the point at which the spring and plunger to be assembled will be properly engaged. I In this case, a cam-arm 50,. similar to cam-arm 15 except that it is thin enough to slide freely in circumferential slot 46, is pivotally and rethat the operator will be able to push out any assembly that may become jammed in an assembly hole 44.

While in the modifications described the cylinder has been shown as rotating and the cam member as fixed, it should be understood that this is merely a preferred arrangement and the device would function equally well if the cam member rotated. In other words only relative movement between the cylinder and cam member is required.

It is therefore apparent that the above described invention provides a simple apparatus capable of automatically effecting press-fit assemblies, such as a plunger and spring assembly, with speed and economy.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for making press-fit assemblies comprising, a base, a cylinder rotatably mounted on said base, said cylinder having a plurality of angularly spaced holes therein, said holes being arranged with their axes in'a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, each of said holes being adapted to receive a set of parts to be press-assembled so that before assembly the outer part projects out of the hole, a cam member pivotally mounted on the base and arranged so that during rotation of the cylinder the hole pass adjacent the cam member, and a spring mounted on the base and engaging the cam member, whereby said cam member is resiliently maintained adjacent the cylinder.

2. An apparatus for making press-fit assemblies: comprising, a base, a cylinder rotatably mounted on said base, said cylinder having a plurality of angularly spaced holes therein, said holes being arranged with their axes in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, each of said holes being adapted to receive a set of parts to be pressassembled so that before assembly the outer part lie wholly within the hole, the cylinder being provided with a circumferential groove embracing the axes of said spaced holes, and a cam member mounted on the base and engaged in said circumferential groove.

3. An apparatus for making press-fit assemblies comprising, a base, a cylinder rotatably mounted on said base, said cylinder having a plurality of angularly spaced holes, said holes being arranged with their axes in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, each of said holes being adapted to receive a set of parts to be pressassembled, and a spring biased cam member pivotally mounted on the base and disposed so that as the cylinder is rotated the axes of the holes lie in a plane embraced by the cam member, said cam member having a concave profile with a. radius somewhat greater than said cylinder with the mid-section thereof being tangent to and facing' the cylinder, said profile being arranged so that as the cylinder is rotated the clearance between the cylinder and the cam member in the plane of the axes of the holes first decreases through the assembly range and then increases to disengage the cam member from the assembly.

4. An apparatus for making press-fit assemblies comprising, a base, a cylinder rotatably mounted on said base, said cylinder having a plurality of-angularly spaced holes therein, said holes being arranged with their axes in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, each of saidholes being adapted to receive a set of parts to be press-assembled, and a spring biased cam member pivotally mounted on the base and arranged so that as the cylinder is rotated the axes of the holes lie in a plane embraced by the cam member, said cam member having a concave profile with a radius somewhat greater than said cylinder with the mid-section thereof being tangent to and facing the cylinder, said profile being disposed so that as the cylinder is rotated the clearance between the cylinder and the cam member in the plane of the axes of the holes decreases through the assembly range and then terminates abruptly in a shoulder thereby suddenly releasing the assembly from compression as the cylinder is rotated.

ALEXANDER H. LEWIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

